It seems disingenuous to refer to Milk Maid as a band: among the few facts you're likely to glean about this project is that lynchpin Martin Cohen has, through no fault of his own, gone through 11 different bandmates in the last two years. Fans of last year's debut need not despair though - the work of the former Nine Black Alps bassist has never exactly suffered from pursuing a lo-fi, intimate approach.
There's a certain element of wilful stubbornness in the determination to eschew the likes of Pro-Tools in favour of a 16-track tape machine, but the dark lyrical themes and surprisingly poppy melodies that emerge from the hail of fuzz that makes up Mostly No would be underserved by any other approach. A dearth of fancy toys means that Cohen's songwriting is front and centre, relying on skilful melodies and gritty riffs instead of gimmicks. Think a home-recorded Jesus and Mary Chain underpinned by at times frantic drumming and the crunch of distorted guitars.
While songs such as "Do Right", "Your Neck Around Mine" and the deceptively poppy lead single "Summertime" deftly showcase Cohen's ability to write the perfect pop hook, it is in some of the album's more sprawling songs that Mostly No comes into its own. "Stir So Slow" is the very epitome of a slow-burner; the gorgeous acoustic melody of the verses giving way to a more expansive instrumental section before the song's end - and all in under three minutes.
You'd think that all of that would leave no space for surprises, but as the acoustic "No Good" - which closes the album - strains at the leash on its verses to burst into a hail of white noise that never comes, it becomes apparent how much of this stripped-back approach is in fact the deliberate work of a very skilled songwriter. The album's 35 minutes closes on the perfect note to skip right back to the beginning.
Watch the "Summertime" video
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